Month: May 2013

Editor-in-Chief: Stephen C. Hauser Co-Editors: Amy S. Oxentenko and John J. Poterucha Publisher: Oxford University Press – 459 pages Book Review by: Nano Khilnani This guide has been written for physicians-in-training who are preparing to take the gastroenterology board exams and for those who require recertification. This review book covers not only gastroenterology and hepatology but also other related areas such as endoscopy, nutrition, pathology and radiation. It does not offer the latest information on the art and science of gastroenterology, but it does contain: Clinical knowledge to enhance patient management Each subspecialty section with a case-based presentation as...

Author: Morten Jerven Publisher: Cornell University Press – 187 pages Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram Morten Jerven went to Lusaka in 2007 for fieldwork in connection with his doctoral thesis in economic history.  He wanted to find out how national income estimates were arrived at in Zambia and in general, in African countries. He writes of his experience: “I was struck by the derelict state of the Central Statistical Office in Lusaka. The planned agricultural crop survey was being delayed by the need for car repairs. Most of the offices were dark, and the computers were either missing or...

Author: John J. Vento Publisher: Wiley Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram What struck me first as I looked at the cover of this book was how small the pot of gold is. Is the value of that pot large enough that if the gold coins are sold and the cash used to buy high dividend-paying mutual funds for example, will the dividend income be large enough even to pay for a modest lifestyle? I am of course not being critical of the book itself but the cover image chosen for it. The gold represents wealth, and ‘financial independence’ means...

Author: Mun Young Cho Publisher: Cornell University Press – 207 pages Book Review by: Paiso Jamakar “China will defeat America, and soon become the wealthiest country in the world!” This was a statement uttered by someone in the Chinese city of Harbin while watching the spectacular opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He was urging a friend to look for a job “in this country,” because China has vast potential, he asserted. This potential has actually become a reality in some respects, he pointed out, such as for example China’s ability to host a sports extravaganza that...

Editors: Eric Helleiner and Jonathan Kirshner Publisher: Cornell University Press – 250 words Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram The editors write that this book began with a single question: What is the future of the United States dollar as n international currency? The editors invited six scholars to share their views in a set of lectures and a workshop at Cornell University and at the Center for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) in Waterloo in Ontario, Canada Their purpose was not to come up with a conclusion or a consensus on the future of the dollar: whether it will continue...